Saturday, August 23, 2014

Saturday Sayings: Immerse Yourself

In my typical every day life, I'm married to routines and plans, but when I travel across the pond, I expect exploration and immersion, even the kind that leads to moments of being lost. Five years ago I went on a Mediterranean cruise with my parents. Our stop off at the Greek island of Mykonos was not nearly long enough. All I really wanted to do was lose myself in the maze of circuitous narrow walkways encompassed by whitewashed stone buildings adorned with brightly painted doors and shutters. That would have made for the perfect visit. We simply weren't given enough time for the kind of immersion into the Mykonos life that I was looking for.

Now that I'm once again in the classroom, routines and plans are back in session. There aren't too many lost minutes in my room. I teach with a sense of urgency, as Regie Routman recommends. I believe there are many benefits to routine and sticking to the well-marked path. I know where we need to go and how to get us there. Ah, but I also recognize the dangers. When a fork in the road presents itself, which is more important? My plans or my students?

This week, my kids and I experienced our first two days of school together. Before I met them, I found myself repeating some of the words from Dave Burgess' quote above. "Just be. Immerse yourself. If something comes up that's not part of your original plan, just go with it." I think I did okay with that, but I also know I missed the mark at one point and I want to kick myself. Two of my boys requested I read a third David Shannon book, but all I could see were my plans and the clock. I had a list of reasons why following their lead wasn't ideal. Honestly it wasn't, but I won't go into all the details. The point is, there was a fork in the road. Considering how passionate I am about literacy, I took the wrong way.

Guess what I'll be doing this coming week? I'll be tracking down that third David Shannon book. I'll also be telling myself, "Expect exploration and immersion, even the kind that leads to moments of being lost." Amidst routines and plans that I still believe are essential, I need to remember that sometimes losing oneself is the most memorable part of the visit.

18 comments:

Good thoughts! Sounds like you started school the same day I did. :-)I know that I have trouble with this as well. I am so focused on what I want to accomplish with my kids, that sometimes I don't just "be." Definitely something I need to work on too.

Great thoughts!! Like you, I'm structured, like routine, and teach with urgency. Those moments of "just being" are few and far between so when they pop up I let them happen. I read David Shannon's books at the beginning of the year and have already taken out the rest because I know they'll want to hear them too!! :o)

Sara, yep it's hard. We have a lot to accomplish in so little time, and some forks probably aren't going to help us get to where we need to go. I think the one I missed was worthy of my time, but you're right. In the moment, it's not always easy to know.

I am so glad that you have also forgiven yourself for not doing what you think would have been better. I agree with everything you said. I think we need to lose ourselves in many parts of our lives. We need to be more mindful. But forgiveness is also important and something I am constantly reminding myself to do.

Don't worry too much about not reading the 3rd book:) It's abundantly clear you're an amazing teacher, always striving to be better. I completely agree with the "immerse yourself in the moment". I try to do that, too, because honestly, when I do, teaching is even more fun than it usually is. But it's hard to let go of our plans; I struggle with that all the time. Enjoy your beginning-of-the-year!